U.S. bears blame for Mexico drug violence

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Updated: November 4, 2011 7:38PM

Two and a half minutes.

That is the time it took for several armed men to storm a casino in northern Mexico, order the patrons to get out and torch the place with gasoline. Fifty-two people died in the blaze, mostly women and senior citizens who enjoyed playing bingo.

The daylight attack at the Casino Royale happened a week ago in Monterrey, Mexico. It was the worst attack on civilians since the massacre of 72 migrants last year.

Five alleged members of the vicious Los Zetas drug cartel have been arrested so far. The attack may have been in response to the casino owners’ refusal to pay protection money. Also, charges of government corruption have surfaced because the casino’s emergency doors were locked in violation of code. The casino owner is at large.

The brazen attack stunned Mexico and many in the United States. But then hurricane Irene caught the attention of most Americans. President Barack Obama sent his deepest condolence to the families of the victims in Monterrey and he too went on to focus on Irene.

The American public’s response to the most recent massacre in Mexico would have been different if there had been Americans among the dead in the Casino Royale.

The United States shares responsibility for the thousands of people dead, injured and displaced in the five-year drug war that Mexican President Felipe Calderon has launched against the drug cartels. But we seem to ignore the connection between the high demand for illegal drugs and the violence associated with drug trafficking — not only in Mexico but in cities such as Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.

The connection is crystal clear: The U.S. represents a yearly $39 billion market for the drug cartels because an estimated 25 million Americans — 12 and older — consume some type of illegal drug, according to the Justice Department.

As a country, we must assume our share of responsibility for the violence that plagues Mexico. The seemingly insatiable demand for narcotics in our country has created a supply that has turned brutally violent because of competition among drug cartels and the drug war.

A drug bust in the streets of Chicago — as happened last week — reveals the vast distribution system of the Mexican drug cartels in the U.S. The Chicago Police confiscated 12,000 pounds of marijuana and arrested seven individuals — most likely Mexican nationals. The drugs confiscated were estimated at $33 million.

The question is: Who was going to buy all that pot?

It is ironic that the extreme drug violence that routinely stuns Mexico does not happen in our country despite the fact that the Mexican drug cartels operate in more than 230 cities across the U.S., according to the Justice Department. Generally, the drug violence in cities such as Chicago has to do with gangs fighting for turf to sell drugs.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mexican drug cartels operate in the U.S. without fighting among themselves. Their operatives blend in with residents of Latino neighborhoods. Their main job is to distribute the drugs and smuggle cash back into Mexico to be laundered.

In the meantime, the Obama administration has stepped up cooperation with Mexico to fight the drug cartels. U.S. drones have been used by the Mexican military to obtain intelligence on the cartels and U.S. agents have trained Mexican federal police to plan and execute raids across the U.S.-Mexico border, launched from bases on American soil.

We can no longer watch the video of the horrific attack at the Casino Royale and pretend we are innocent bystanders.